Adjustable stop for controlling breech mechanisms of automatic or semi-automatic guns.



No. 665,l99. Patented Jan. I, l90l,

A. w. ERDMAN. ADJUSTABLE STDP FOR CONTROLLING BREECH MECHANISMS OF AUTOMATIC 0B SEMI-AUTOMATIOGUNS O .7. m1 gmhiti w 1 001 .I)

(0 Mod Patented. Jan. I, new.

No. 665,l99.

A. w. EBDMAN; ADJUSTABLE STOP FOR CONTROLLING BRE ECH MECHANISMS OF AUTOMATIC OR SEMI-AUTOMATIC GUNS.

(Applcat on filed Oct 13 1900 2 Sheets.8heet 2.

(No Model.)

, v v 4 l lliairen F S'rn rss Parser @FFKCE.

ALBERT w. EBDMAN,

or DERBY, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNORTO THE DRIGGS- SEABURY GUN AND AMMUNITIGN COMPANY, OF NEW.YORK, N. Y.

ADJUSTABLE STO P FOR CONTROLLING BREECH MECHANISMS OF AUTOillATlC R SEW-AUTOMATIC GUNS.

$PEGIFIGATION forming part of Letters Eatent No. 665,199, dated January 1, 1901.

Application filed ctober 13, 1900. serial No. 82,976. K110 model.) 7

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALBERT W. ERDMAN, a citizen of the United States,residing at Derby, in the county of New Haven and State of Conful Improvements; in Adjustable Stops for Controlling the Breech Mechanisnrof Auto- :matic orSemi-Antoinatic Guns; and I do here by declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to improvements in mechanism for operating the breech-closure of automatic or semi-automatic guns; and it especially relates to guns of that class in which the breech-olosure is controlled by the action of a vibrating lever carried by or moving with the gun during the recoil and counter-recoil. 20 This invention relates more particularly to I an adjustable camming device adapted to engage the breech-operating lever on counterreooil, but to yield to the said lever during the recoil of the gun. I

The invention is especially applicable to guns oi": the .type shown in the patent to Nilliarn H. Drigg's and Vernon O. Tasker, No. 625,326, granted May 23, 1899, and reference may be made to this patent for the various o operative parts of the guntherein shown, but

which do not form a part of my present invention, and hence are not shown herein.

Reference is had to the accompanying drawings, in which the same parts are indicated by the same letters throughout the several views.

Figure 1 shows a part-of the breech of the gun with part of the gun broken away to show theright-hand portion of the slide. Fig. 2 represents a section along the broken line 2 2 of Fig. 1, parts being shown in elevation. Fig.3 is a detail view showing a part of the slide and the plate in which the cam is mounted. Fig. 4: is a detail showing the opposite side of the deviceshown in Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is a detail showing the arm on the operating shaft for automatic or semi-automatic firing,

and Fig. 6 is a perspective viewof the campiece as detached from the rest of the apparatns.

necticut, have invented certain new and use locking-lug F A represents the bodyof the gun, whicl projects downward, as at A, and at A forms a bearing for the operating-shaft D, by means of which the breech-lock is moved from the closed to the open position, or vice versa. This operating-shaft also carries a hand-lever D for. hand operation, and to this hand lever the rod E is connected, which rod is spring-constrained, as by the spring E, (ind-r cated in Fig. l and shown fully in the patout to Driggs and Tasker aforesaid and well known in the art.)

The gun is provided with dovetail rib a to slide in the guideway of the slide B. This slide is preferably provided with downwardlyprojecting arins B to which the plates G and C are secured. The latter might be made integral with the former or with the slide; but for convenient manufacture it is preferable to make the same separate therefrom. Moreover, the particular form of the arms B? is not important, as any suitable bearing on the slide for the plates G and 0 might be provided. The plate Ois recessed, as shown in Fig. l, and is provided with astop-lug U and 5 a face 0. The operating-shaft D is provided at the end opposite to the hand-lever with two arms D and D from which projectthe lugs d and (1 respectively. (See Figs. 2 and 5.) Theselugscontroltheaiitomaticorsemi- 8o automatic firing of the gun, as will be hereinafter described. 4 p I The plate G has integral therewith or attached thereto a sleeve G, and in this sleeve is journaled a shank F of the cam-piece F, which cam-piece carries the stop F and the The stop F has a yielding face f, a holding-face and a releasing-face f while the locking-lug F has a holdingface-f The spring K (see Fig. 2) normallygo presses the face f of the cam-piece against the face 0 of the lug 0 (see Figs. 1 and 4) and thus normally holds the cam in the operative position. i

So as to be able to throw the cam out of en- 5 gageinent when it is desired to operate .the gun by hand I provide a handle H, fast to the shank F of the cam-piece F, and inthis shank- I'secure a spring H as at 71. which spring bears on the pawl H, which is pivotioo' Suppose the vholds the blade in two positions.

spring H will hold it there until it is released by hand, and at the same time this pawl will hold the lug F down clear of the operatinglug d and the automatic or semi-automatic attachment will be out of engagement and the gun'may be operated by hand in the usual way.

Theoperation of the device is as follows: parts to be in the position shown in Figs. 1, 2), and land the gun to be fired, The recoil of the gun will cause the log 01 to strike the cam-face f, pressing the cam down against the action of the spring-K until this lug d has passed in rear of the cam, and the cam being released will spring up again in the position shown in Figs. 1 and 4. The gun will then continue its further recoil; but on retm iing to its initial position the lug d will strike the holding-facef of the cam and the cam not being able to yield the arm D is swung rearward, rotating with operatingshaft 1) and opening the breech of the gun, When the breech of the gun has been fully opened, the'lug 01 will pass beneath the releasing-face f of the cam as the gun continues its return to the initial position and the spring attached to the rod F. Will. close the breech mechanism, as happens in ordinary firing. Where it is desired to fire automatically or semi-automatically an automatically-controlled stop is required to hold the breech-block in an open position; but such stops are well known in the art-snch, for instance, as the extractor-stop shown in the patent to Driggs and Tasher aforesaid.

When the automatic or semi-automatic attachment is in operation or when the can: F is in the operative position, it will be impossible to operate t-hc'breech mechanism by hand, because if the hand-lever be rotated the lug d will promptly bring up against the holding-face f of the log F on the cam-piece F and the further motion of the handlever will cease.

My invention does not relate to anything more than the mechanism for operating the main shaft antomaticaily or semi-automaticallyand for releasing said mechanism, so that the gun may be operated by hand when desired, and therefore the various well-known details are omittedsuch as the trunuions for the slide, mechanism for closing the breech sp i from'en Whil when the agement with the cam, due.

the gun-mount proper, the

Zmstrained arm has been released efor convenience of description 1' have shown this invention as applied to a gun-mount of the type shownin the patent ceases v to Briggs and 'lasker aforesaid, I do not mean to confine myself to the details of that particular mount or of any particular mount or of any particular breech-closure, the in- Vention being applicable to almost any of the types of breech-closures in which the breech block is moved by an oscillating lever and in which it is desired to automatically operate that lever on the counter recoil of the gun. Having thus described my said invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is.

1. In a gun, the combination with a rockshaft for operating the breech mechanism, a springconstrained arm secured to or integral with said rock-shaft provided with an'engaging lug and -a stop-lug, and a rotary campiece having a stop to engage said engaging log, and a locking-lug to engage said stoplog, with means for rotating said cam-piece and for throwing the latter part out of engagement, when desired, substantially as described.

2. In a gun, the combination with a rockshaft for operating the breech mechanism, a spring-constrained arm sccuredto or integral with said rock-shaft provided with an engaging lug and a stop-lug, and a rotary campiece having a stop to engage said engaging lug, and a locking-lug to engage said stoplug, and a handle and spring-catch for rotating said cam-piece and holding the same in the disengaged position when desired, silhstantially as described.

3. in a gun, the combination with a-rockshaft for operating the breech mechanism, a spring-constrained arm secured to or integral with said rock-shaft provided with an engaging log and a stop-lug, and a rotary campiece having a stop to engage said engaging lug and a locking-lug to engage said stop-lug, a spring normally holding said cam-piece in thev engaging position, and means for rotating the cam-piece and for throwing the parts out of engagement when desired, substantially as described.

4. in a gun, the combination with a rockshaft for operating the breech mechanism, a springconstrained arm secured to or integral with said rock'shaft provided with an enga ii'ig lug and a stop-log, and a notary cam piece in the form of a bell cranh having'a stop to engage said engaging log, and a locking-lug to engage said stoping, a shank-secured-to or integral with said cam pioce and journaled in. the gun-mount, with means for rotating said shank and for throwing the stop out of engagement, when desired, substantially as described. v

5. In a gun, the combination with a roehshaft for operating the breechmcchanism, a spring-constrained arm secured to or integral with said rock-shaft provided witiran engaging lug and a stop-lug, and a rotarycam-- piece in the form of a bell-crank havinga step to engage said engaging lug, and a l'ooking- In testimony whereof Ieflix my signatnre log to engage said stop-lug, and a shank sein presence of two witnesses.

cured to or inte ral with said cam-piece and 1 journa'ved in w s gun-mount, and a handle .ALBLRT ERDMAN' 5 and spring-catch for rotating said shank and Witnesses:

holding the same in the disengaged position, HELEN E. BAILEY,

when desired, substantially as described. EDWIN B. GAGE. 

